1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors, and more particularly to an improvement in an electrical connector provided to be fixed to and connected electrically with a circuit board device, such as a main solid circuit board of an electronic apparatus, and to have a plurality of conductive contacts for coming into press-contact with connecting terminals provided on a flat circuit device, such as a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter, referred to as an FPC) or a flexible flat cable assembly (hereinafter, referred to as an FFC), so as to put the connecting terminals on the flat circuit device in electrical connection with the circuit board device.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
A flat circuit device, such as a relatively small-sized FPC or FFC, used in electronic apparatus of various kinds is often mounted on a circuit board device, on which various electrical parts are directly mounted, by means of an electrical connector which is fixed to and connected electrically with the circuit board device. The electrical connector has a plurality of conductive contacts for coming into contact with connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device and is operative to connect electrically, through the conductive contacts, the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device with conductive circuit pattern portions formed on the circuit board device.
One of previously proposed electrical connectors, which is used for mounting a flat circuit device which is, for example, an FPC on a circuit board device, is provided with a housing made of insulator which has an opening through which the flat circuit device is inserted into the housing and is to be mounted on the circuit board device. In the housing, a plurality of conductive contacts are provided to be arranged along the opening. These conductive contacts are operative to come into contact respectively with a plurality of connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device when the flat circuit device is inserted into the housing through the opening. The electrical connector is further provided with an actuator which is provided to be rotatable to the housing so as to engage with each of the conductive contacts arranged on the housing. When the actuator is rotated in regard to the housing, an operating portion of each of the conductive contacts is moved by the actuator to put the conductive contact in press-contact with a corresponding one of the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device.
The actuator is formed into a slender shape elongating in a direction along which the conductive contacts are arranged and provided with a cam portion and a manipulatable portion. The cam portion of the actuator is put in engagement with each of the conductive contacts. The manipulatable portion of the actuator is manipulated for causing the actuator to rotate in regard to the housing.
Each of the conductive contacts arranged on the housing is made of conductive resilient material to have a fixed part fixed to the housing and a movable part coupled through a connecting part with the fixed part for constituting the operating portion. The fixed part of the conductive contact is connected electrically with a conductive circuit pattern portion provided on the circuit board device on which the housing is mounted. The movable part of the conductive contact is provided thereon with a contacting projection for coming into press-contact with the connecting terminal provided on the flat circuit device and shifted in place by the cam portion of the actuator.
In the electrical connector proposed previously, when the flat circuit device has been inserted into the housing through the opening provided thereon and the actuator is rotated in a predetermined direction, the actuator operates to move the movable part of each of the conductive contacts for causing the contacting projection provided on the movable part to come into press-contact with a corresponding one of the connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device, and then, when contacting projection provided on the movable part of each of the conductive contacts is put in a condition of press-contact with the connecting terminal provided on the flat circuit device and the actuator is rotated in a direction opposite to the above-mentioned predetermined direction, the actuator operates to move the movable part of each of the conductive contacts for releasing the contacting projection provided on the movable part from the condition of press-contact with the connecting terminal provided on the flat circuit device.
In such an electrical connector as mentioned above, the actuator is required to be prevented from being unwillingly removed from the housing, for example, when the actuator is manipulated to rotate in regard to the housing. Further, since the electrical connector is generally desired to be minimized in its size of thickness on the circuit board device on which the housing is mounted so as to be miniaturized on the whole, the actuator is also desired to be prevented from causing unwilling removal from the housing with a relatively simple and miniaturized structure in the electrical connector.
Accordingly, there has been also proposed previously an electrical connector in which an actuator which is put in engagement with a plurality of conductive contacts which are arranged in a housing and with which an actuator is put in engagement are operative to hold the actuator so as to prevent the actuator from being unwillingly removed from the housing, as shown in, for example, the Japanese patent application published before examination under publication number 2004-342426 (hereinafter, referred to as a published Japanese patent document).
In the previously proposed electrical connector shown in the above-mentioned published Japanese patent document, a plurality of first conductive contacts (first conductive contacts (10)) and a plurality of second conductive contacts (second conductive contacts (20)) are arranged one after the other in a housing (an insulator (30)) which is provided to be mounted on a circuit board device and an actuator (a rotatable member (40)) is provided to be rotatable in regard to the housing and put in engagement with each of the first and second conductive contacts. Each of the first conductive contacts is provided thereon with a holding portion (11b) for engaging with the actuator to hold the same. The actuator is postured to take up first and second stations selectively. In the first station, the actuator keeps rising from the housing, and in the second station, the actuator keeps lying down on the housing.
Each of the first conductive contacts has a lower arm portion (13) and an upper arm portion (11) connected through a connecting portion (a fulcrum portion (12)) with the lower arm portion so as to form an H-shaped member. The lower arm portion is fixed to the housing and the upper arm portion is able to be seesaw with a fulcrum at the connecting portion. The holding portion of the first conductive contact for engaging with the actuator to hold the same is formed at an end of the upper arm portion of the first conductive contact.
The actuator is provided thereon with an engaging portion (42a) at a part thereof engaging with each of the first conductive contacts. The holding portion provided on each of the first conductive contacts is operative to engage with the engaging portion provided on the actuator for holding the actuator in its entirety and thereby the actuator is prevented from being unwillingly removed from the housing.
With the electrical connector proposed previously as shown in the above-mentioned published Japanese patent document, in which the first and second conductive contacts are arranged one after the other in the housing, the actuator postured to take up selectively the first station to keep rising from the housing and the second station to keep lying down on the housing is provided to be rotatable in regard to the housing, and each of the first conductive contacts is provided thereon with the holding portion for engaging with the actuator to hold the same, it is expected that the actuator is held by the holding portion provided on each of the first conductive contacts for engaging with the engaging portion provided on the actuator so that the actuator is prevented from being unwillingly removed from the housing. However, under the above-mentioned condition wherein it is expected that the actuator is prevented from being unwillingly removed from the housing, there are the following apprehensions.
The engaging portion provided on the actuator is moved in concurrence with the movements of the actuator between the first station wherein the actuator keeps rising from the housing and the second station wherein the actuator keeps lying down on the housing so as to shift in its posture and therefore it is feared that the holding portion provided on each of the first conductive contacts is not put in secure and stable mechanical engagement with the engaging portion provided on the actuator and thereby easily released from the engagement with the engaging portion provided on the actuator, for example, when the actuator is manipulated to rotate. Especially, when the actuator is put in the first station to keep rising from the housing, it is likely that the holding portion provided on each of the first conductive contacts is easily disengaged from the engaging portion provided on the actuator due to the shape of the engaging portion provided on the actuator.
As a result, with the previously proposed electrical connector in which the holding portion is provided on the conductive contact for engaging with the actuator to hold the same, it is hard to say that the actuator is surely and stably prevented from being unwillingly removed from the housing, for example, when the actuator is manipulated to rotate in regard to the housing.